Sometimes even the fastest of us need to slow down…
Ernie captured by Steph James
As we grow we tend to shrink back into the shadows of our former selves, shedding new light in past stories, holding a candle up to who we used to be, tales of misspent youth, underage drinking, to passing exams we were sure we’d fail and final kisses. Still reliving the rivalries, reminiscing over schoolboy errors and mischievous pranks, resisting dreams we were sure we would have achieved by now, looking within to see where we need to go next.
Ernie Hold Yr Horses
Detailing his second ever release ‘Hold Yr Horses’ explores small town narratives, being 16/17 and getting into drunken scrapes. Bottles filled with blurs, fists reddened and voices raised these were the nights that flooded the days. Ernie describes the song as being a bit “tongue in cheek, I’m kind of poking fun at some of the weird toxic masculinity that was present in the town at the time, but ultimately the song is about a tense and unnerving time of my life.”
Anger and resentment, two complex emotions full of layers the ultimately peel back to reveal fear and vulnerability, the harmonies and instrumentals weaved through Hold Yr horses reflect this, two voices in the fog, an internal conversation, which emotion is guiding you through the darkness? Ernie, a part-time chef, full-time singer-songwriter touches on themes of identity, family, relationships and the trappings of being the “odd one out” in a small northern town within his music.
Ernie captured by Steph James
A cacophony of what could, be this song showcases Ernie’s artistic innovation, exploring the depths of his songwriting capabilities, demonstrating his strength as a singer. The music morphs, the patient tone of the message, encouraging the listener to slow down offers a reassuring hand against the fast paced and suspenseful guitar riff that propels the narrative.
The change in tone effortlessly illustrating the minefield of emotions we once felt as an adolescent, life becomes a stuck lift, limboeing between change and opportunity or face falling back to ground floor but never knowing which buttons to press to calculate success. But with communication and self awareness, those buttons can be pushed into the place, sometimes it just takes the help of a friend, a family member or even courage within ourselves to find the right sequence.
Ernie Pink Headaches
And Ernie has done, from supporting Sam Fender at St. James’ Park to receiving plaudits from the likes of NME, The independent, Dork and his debut ‘Pink Headaches’ receiving airplay from BBC 6 music, Ernie has recently signed too Gravity Records (EMI imprint), and landed himself an upcoming headline onNovember 3rd at Star & Shadow Cinema, the alt-rocker’s impressive rise is certainly gathering pace.
An outstretched hand on the journey through grief.
Emily Howard, a talented musician, recently released , “Healthy Mind,” featured on her album titled “Good Grief.” This emotionally charged track delves deep into the complexities of navigating grief, offering listeners a raw glimpse into tragedy. With a delicate balance of humor, hope, and moments of profound despair, Howard’s hauntingly beautiful composition strikes a chord with our innermost emotions.
Emily Howard Healthy Mind.
Simplistic and stripped back this song is all the more effective with it’s acoustic sound and complex lyrics. By embracing vulnerability and finding resilience Howard has created an intricate insight into loss and hope. Her honestly and humour demonstrate her humanity in the face of adversity. This song also serves as a reminder that sometimes, putting yourself first does not equate to selfishness in actuality it equates to survival. Despite such a strong emotion, Howard demonstrates there is sometimes peace in a storm with her effortlessly empowering Jazz influenced vocals.
After losing her boyfriend in a motorbike accident when she was 17 , her album Good Grief offers an honest and insightful, outstretched hand on others who have also been pushed onto this unfortunate journey. Grief encompasses the sorrow and pain that follows a major unexpected change in our lives whether it be divorce, losing a job or the sudden loss of a loved one. It is an experience that transcends language and affects each individual uniquely. Numbness settles in, a spectre of who you once were this should of silence and eruption of inner turmoil, our once known world now an alien planet. As time passes, emotions surge, fluctuating between anger, sadness, and profound longing for what once was. Grief is an uninvited companion that walks beside us, reminding us of the depth of our love and the irreplaceable void left behind. It is a process of learning to navigate life without the physical presence of the one we mourn, while still cherishing the memories and the impact they had on our lives. It is an uninvited teacher, demonstrating the fragility of existence and the resilience of the human spirit. Through grief, we learn to honour and remember, to find solace in the bittersweet beauty of the past, and to forge a renewed sense of purpose in the wake of loss.
Good Grief Album by Emily Howard
It is not just the incident that impacts us, it is not just them who we mourn but also the loss of the It is in the future we had envisioned too. Full of promises, shared moments, cherished memories, and hope, seemingly fade away like a distant mirage. However, within the depths of grief, we can also discover a profound sense of resilience and the capacity to find solace in treasured memories. It is through embracing these memories and honoring the legacy of those we have lost that we can ultimately begin to heal and find a renewed sense of purpose.
Time may not heal all wounds, but it has the power to bring comfort and grant us the strength to carry on. The experiences we hold close to our hearts continue to shape us, leaving an indelible mark on our souls. Memories intertwine with our thoughts, etching their presence in our minds. We carry them with us, forever tethered to the stories that unfolded. Healing is an ongoing journey, with its ebbs and flows. Even as wounds fade, the occasional ache serves as a gentle reminder of what once was. Yet, amidst the darkness, there is always a glimmer of hope, much like the moon shining through the night sky. Grief can also bring gratitude, enriching each experience we did share with who is gone, allowing us to appreciate each moment more and experiencing it for the both of you, choosing to honour their memory by embracing life, cherishing the lessons learned, and forging ahead with resilience, we go on knowing that by doing so they continue to live within us.
An exploration of grief for oneself, the journey out of mourning, the battle we are all fighting to maintain ourselves, ART offers an upbeat and honest take on what it means to be human.
The Lottery Winners Thom Rylance, Robert Lally, Katie Lloyd, Joe Singleton
Talking to NME about their new album at the start of 2023, The Lottery Winners frontman Thom Rylance said: “I’ve always told my story in our songs. If you’re telling your own story, it’s never going to be boring. When I started assembling these songs, I realised that everyone I wrote was getting a bit lighter, feeling progressively less down.
Play
An omniscient narrator introduces the album as an audible therapy. You are instantly immersed in the kaleidoscope of your mind, are you worried about what you might find? How will you recover what is lost if you do not search for it?
Worry
Who are you when your head is full of worry? Trying to navigate your way through life whilst your mind is jumping to the direst conclusions takes a toll on the soul. Accompanied by raw visuals, depicting the honest scene of a depression pit, a tray from a takeaway you had two weeks ago festering by your bed, a pile of pills on the cabinet, unpaid bills glaring up at you from your nightstand. Every intention to face the day, fully dressed and ready but your funky, floral bedding becomes a straitjacket forcing you to stay.
Punctuated by the discarded first edition copy of the picture of Dorian Gray it can be interpreted that this song discusses the curse we all feel, lamenting our youth, wanting to revisit it and savour our innocence, haunted by who we could have been if we were parented differently, but then they wouldn’t be who we are and would only end up missing them. Gray also suffers from an addiction, an indulgent drug infused escapism that only imprisons you to a false face of reality.
This track echoes the familiar verve and energy from The Lottery Winners but also recreates the imploding pressure your brain puts upon itself in times of desperation. Each track stands as an individual anthem but all work together to reflect a year of frontman Rylance’s life.
Burning House
Burning House Music video by The Lottery Winners.
Sometimes we stay in burning houses just to stay warm, there are fires on the stairs so we stay safe in the living room, the TV loud enough to drown out the roar of the inferno so it becomes nothing more than a whisper, but we know it’s still there. Burning questions feed the flames as you ask yourself who you have become, who you are to the flames and plead with them to stop burning, but that is what a fire does, it destroys.
Katie Lloyd, electric bassist for the band, dominates the track with her uplifting energy,a complete contrast to the depth of the song offering an insight into how some of us act when everything is falling down, stoicism, the danger of saying you’re fine when you’re bleeding through your badly wound bandages.
Money
Money by The Lottery Winners Ft. Shaun Ryder
Featuring Shaun Ryder this song explores what it might feel like to live how we all deserve to life, freely. But how possessing a certain amount of money after having none can corrupt the mind, the more you spend the more you lose your sense of self. Fine line between worth ad greed but when you’ve worked hard, peeling your eyes red to stay alert on that late night shift, picking up more to make ends meet, you have a right to a little touch of luxury.
Outside of this it’s a satirical reflection on what many musicians hope to achieve, after juggling odd jobs, playing countless gigs to half empty rooms, headlining stages getting albums, sharing their success and doing what they love full time. It’s a lesson that, ART, which enriches the soul, offers a hand out of mess is so neglected by finance that the struggling, starving artist has become romanticised, if you’re not suffering you’re not doing it right, but talent should be celebrated, it should be invested in, art is pure, it’s the only thing we have to help us through.
The Lottery Winners.
Long Way Down
A loss of inspiration can send anyone into a sorrowful state of desperation, screaming out to find yourself, only hearing echoes of who you could have been if you had achieved the dream, you sold your soul to achieve. Who could you be if you could go back to your birth and bring yourself up? Resenting your parents for not being the people you needed them to be. Your brain doesn’t feel like your own anymore, tired and run down you cry for who you once were.
Sertraline
What is a skill if it cannot be shared, why sing a song if it won’t be heard, why make art if nobody cares? We live for other people so when there is no one around us why do we continue? When we are lost where do we search? The last place we left of, when did you last see yourself? In a childhood memory? As you rest your head, where does it fall? On the floor of your first home? Who were you then where you used to roam?
Pause
The audible exploration comes to a halt, forcing us to re-connect with reality, has our mindset changed? Will it? The narrator asks us to acknowledge that colours may seem brighter, and we may feel lighter, and then he asks us to imagine our childhood bedroom, the smaller version of who we once were, stares vacantly back at us as we open the door.
Letter to myself- Frank Turner
A Letter To Myself music video by The Lottery Winners ft. Frank Turner
We live our lives in hindsight, wishing we could reverse time in the hope it would change our current situation, but who’s to say if we had enjoyed those days of simplicity, when a summer’s day was full of magic and the biggest stress was completing that week’s homework that anything would be different now?
The only way to change your current situation is by facing yourself and doing it differently. Find forgiveness in reflection, thank your parents for doing what they could, releasing too that they are still human, they were learning too. Sometimes reflection is the only way we can move forward realise that ‘it’s not all plain sailing’ there will be ‘times you’re in front and times that you’re failing’ but this is human and that’s all we can be.
Jennie
It’s the monotony of life you breathe then you die, trapped in a cycle trying to get by. You seek help and people wonder why, that’s just life mate, that’s the way it’s going to be. If this is normality, sell me a fantasy let me breath in some wonderland, promise me you’ll hold my hand? Through love we escape, ‘travelling to a place where the sun and ocean kiss’ an eternal bliss surely that’s the true meaning of all this, not to work all day in a place we hate.
Let Me Down- Boy George
Enter a neon world full of potential and possibility, drink in the lights and look alive, this is the start of your dazzling new life. ‘Let Me Down’ came from Rylance’s interest in researching pop icons and understanding what makes a song a classic.
He shared that he was listening to a lot of Boy George’s music and ended up writing a song for him to sing without realising it. The video itself pays homage to George’s career, flamboyant, a beacon paving the way to the next generation of artists.
Tackling insecurity, this track is empowering an audible armour against all those that were supposed to be there for us yet time and time again fail us, from our friends, to our families, to ourselves. Boy George’s vocals are expectedly energetic, powerful yet soothing, voice through all the noise whilst Rylance, Katie Lloyd and Rob Lally add further layers of therapeutic splendour, making this song a cinematic piece.
You’re Not Alone
A song that reaches out to you whatever it is you’re going through, you have an audible army, marching alongside you in your ears.
This realisation can take a while, in your state you may have pushed people away but there will always be somebody to turn to, there is always someone that cares. When you see a stranger in the street crying, do you worry for them? Do you wonder what’s wrong? Go to them, offer a voice, a hand. We are not alone, ever it just takes the courage to ask for help to realise.
Anxiety Replacement Therapy
This song is a testament to transformation. When it comes to change, we believe it must be a phenomenon, having blonde hair to black, from being fat to having abs, learning the first few chords to writing a song, we celebrate change when it is instantaneous, without realising everything is gradual. The final verse to this track reflects on the album, with references to previous tracks.
“I used to worry about money now I worry about health Wrote a letter to myself but I left it on the shelf I’m in a burning house and I’ve gotta get out But I’m looking out the window, it’s a long way down I have to call Jennie ’cause I’m having weird dreams Maybe it’s a sign of the sertraline But I know that when I call she’ll always answer the phone She’ll never let me down, I know I’m not alone.”
Our narrator has understood his situation, indulged in and is now trying to change it, seeking prescribed medication, reaching out to friends and looking for ways out of the burning house. Our narrator is trying to be better for themselves, because to be there for ourselves is all we can ask.
Stop
Our omniscient narrator addresses us, a refreshing taste of reality, we are awake in our nightmare now, we can leave this place.
From recently reaching number one, to being in the full throttle of their UK tour The Lottery Winners the band are gritty, colourful and raw. Reality is the core of their sentiments, reflecting on their success Rylance explained: “I always knew we’d do it the hard way. We’re from a working-class mining town in the northwest of England. We’re not from London, we don’t have famous dads. We’re just trying our best, and if people connect to our music, that’s authentic.”
Mediative and liberating A.R.T is out now, get it here.
Evolve Music 